As a child I used to watch my dad on Remembrance Sunday, as he watched his fellow, former soldiers march past the Cenotaph and lay their poppy wreathes. I could see the pain behind his eyes and he wasn’t ashamed to show his emotions.
I understood that many sacrificed their lives so that we have freedom of choice today. Men, no older than some college students today. When the guns finally went silent it marked a change.
My dad was a paratrooper in the second world war. My father-in-law was in the Green Howards. Both men were my heroes – not just because they fought in the war, but because they were gentle giants away from it.
I am honoured to stay silent for them, and those who gave their future for my future.
Writer Ravenclaw 